Japan

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike discussed hydrogen energy, AI cooperation and urban resilience during visits to the Netherlands and Kazakhstan.

Former chairman of Seven & i Holdings Toshifumi Suzuki, credited for the global success of 7-Eleven convenience stores, had died at the age of 93, according to the company. Suzuki - known as the “father of the convenience store” in Japan - died due to heart failure on May 18, the company said in a statement on Monday. “We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to him during his lifetime and respectfully inform you of his passing,” the statement said. Suzuki is known...

The Ebola outbreak spreads in Democratic Republic of Congo, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet in Beijing, Japanese actress Arisa Sasaki dresses as a mermaid for the Cannes Film Festival and Gaza flotilla activists are humiliated by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Ben-Gvir. Here is a look back at some of the week’s most striking images.

Japan’s immigration authorities plan to crack down on visa overstayers and illegal foreign workers by monitoring social media and other platforms for information or leads. The initiative is part of the country’s efforts to reduce the number of overstayers at a time when Japan is taking in more foreign workers due to labour shortages. As early as next year, the Immigration Services Agency plans to use analytical tools to identify online information related to illegal work, including solicitations...

An amendment to Japan's Civil Code looks set to allow shared parenting for the first time.

Seated in a wheelchair, an elderly woman bends silently as her wrinkled fingers move with surprising speed to fold pieces of coloured origami paper into intricate shapes. Beside her, another woman does the same, both adding their finished pieces to a pile on the table without looking up or exchanging a word. Inside Tochigi Prison, where talking during work is forbidden, elderly women folding paper and sewing in silence reflect a broader test of Japan’s penal system: how to care for ageing,...

The flame, which spiritual leaders say has been continuously lit for more than 1,200 years, was salvaged after the blaze and moved to a different site.

China’s exports of rare earth permanent magnets to Japan slightly rebounded in April after slumping the previous month, but Japanese firms warn they are facing “severe” shortages as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo grinds on. Shipments of permanent magnets from China to Japan rose by 2.5 per cent in April compared with the previous month, according to Chinese customs data released on Wednesday. But the modest rise only partly offset the 17.3 per cent plunge recorded in March. The...

Governments across Asia are tightening border screening and quarantine preparedness as health authorities work to contain a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. Several governments have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travellers arriving from affected countries, though officials say the likelihood of local transmission remains low and no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia. In Hong Kong, a Lantau Island isolation facility used for quarantine during the Covid-19...

The South Korean and Japanese leaders, whose nations have not always had good relations, have vowed deeper ties at talks. They reaffirmed stronger security coordination and energy cooperation in challenging times.